The Secret Service just cleaned house

After a string of high-profile security failures, including a knife-wielding man successfully getting onto White House grounds in September, four top Secret Service managers have been asked to leave their jobs at agency, the Secret Service confirmed Wednesday.

They are: Dale Pupillo, a former special agent in charge of Vice President Dick Cheney and Joe Biden details, a little over a year into his job as head of the Office of Protective Operations; Jane Murphy, who manages the Secret Service's government and public affairs office; Mark Copanzzi, in charge of information technology and mission support; and Paul Morrissey, in charge of investigations.

The four were informed Tuesday that they will be reassigned elsewhere in the agency or in the Department of Homeland Security, but most if not all are expected to retire.

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Left in their jobs, for now: A.T. Smith, the deputy director; Craig MaGaw, the head of the Secret Service's intelligence division, which collects and analyzes information about people who threaten the president and other protectees; the assistant director in charge of administration; and Kevin Simpson, the acting head of the Uniformed Division. Both have been criticized for mistakes committed by agents and officers under their supervision. The head of the Presidential Protective Division, whose name the Secret Service prefers not to see in the press, will also keep his job.

Morrissey, Murphy, and Pupillo oversaw key branches of the Secret Service that were responsible by Congress and the Department of Homeland Security for a series of high-profile protective and investigative lapses, as well as the agency's response to them. Copanzzi, who teaches self-defense courses to disabled veterans on the side, was promoted to his job by the former director, Julia Pierson.

Joe Clancy, the acting director, has been under pressure to clear out the agency's top managers. "Change is necessary to gain a fresh perspective on how we conduct business," he said in a statement. "I am certain any of our senior executives will be productive and valued assets either in other positions at the Secret Service or the department."

A DHS report recommended that an outside director be appointed to bring new thinking and rigor to the agency's management. It's not clear when President Obama will appoint one. He is said to be looking at former federal law enforcement officials who, like Clancy, have spent time in the corporate world.